Estate Jean Valentin

 

Our story begins at the end of the 16th centuary with our ancestor JEHAN ROUALET. The surname ROUALET comes from the ‘rouale’, the french name for an old tool that was used to work the vines. So it would seem that our family was predestined to become winemakers !

In 1922, after the First World War, JANE ROUALET, a hands-on powerful woman,dedicated her life and soul to tending her vines. It was a difficult time for the champagne trade, especially after the crash in 1929 and the years that followed. Things got so bad that once the whole grape harvest was left in wicker baskets in the streets in the hope that some broker would buy the grapes for one of the big Champagne houses.

In 1946, JEAN VALENTIN took over from his mother and, with an eye to the future, was one of the first winemakers in Sacy to set up his own wine press. He created the brand ‘Champagne Jean Valentin’ in 1948 and devoted himself to building his customer base by providing an excellent product and exceptional customer service. Voted Mayor of Sacy from 1971 to 1977, he was appreciated by all for his energy and altrustic perspective.

GILLES VALENTIN, Jean’s son, started his career as Head of the Viticulture Office for the CHAMPAGNE COMMITTEE then took over the family business in 1994. His wife, EDITH, joined him and together they expanded the vineyard to reach an annual production of up to 50,000 bottles of which over one third is exported.

Gilles eldest son, BRICE VALENTIN, now the fourth generation, is continuing the tradition of innovation by introducing environmentally-friendly cultivation practices, e-commerce and wine tourism.